Monday, March 09, 2009

Moonshine feat. Otam, Mia Palencia, Slowjaxx, Car Crash Hearts

It was yet another great night with Moonshine at Laundry Bar. This time featuring a stellar cast of seasoned performers with a closing act by an up and coming pop-punk act. Singer-songwriters Otam, Mia Palencia and Slowjaxx graced the stage and showcased a variety of unique original tunes. Later on Car Crash Hearts closed to show with a bang! While the night started off with a relaxing ambience, Car Crash Hearts tuned up the volume and rocked the house down!

Otam, a one-of-a-kind folk singer-songwriter opened the show with one of his most famous song. With a raspy, no holds barred voice coupled with a series of facial contortions, Otam gave one heck of a performance! This funny lad never fails to entertain the crowd with his innocent almost boyish spontaneous and completely out of the blue comments like "Oh sorry I played a bit too rushed". But of course writing about it doesn't do any justice what so ever. He's the kind of performer that you have to see to know. And if you weren't there at Laundry, man oh man, did you miss out on something great or what.

What makes Otam so unique is not only his coarse, honest voice, but also the spirit and vibe he gives out at every performance.

Otam coaxes the organizer of the show, a singer-songwriter himself, Reza Salleh, to play the guitar while he... raps!

A folk singer-songwriter who raps? No, really, he pulls it off superbly well!

Next up was none other than Mia Palencia. This lady really doesn't need much introduction. We've heard more than enough times of how explosive rock bands would bring the house down. Well, I bring to you ladies and gentleman, this sweet faced lady who would bring the roof down with only her voice. A constant joy to watch, Mia displayed an air of confidence and charm that only a seasoned performer possess. Belting out some new tracks she recently wrote, Mia played with a funky looking acoustic guitar (I swear it looks like a part of a mandolin or a ukelele).

Reza Salleh was again ushered back on stage to duet with Mia for one last song. His deep voice coupled with Mia's falsetto voice sent shivers down my spine. They are quite possibly one of the best vocal duets I've heard in a long time.

Slowjaxx came up stage later armed with an electric guitar, a fedora hat and a glass of whisky. His songs weren't technically complex, no fancy gorengs, and nothing Hendrix-ish. I felt that his songs could be developed more, with more layers and some variety of melodies and riffs. But despite all those, there was a sense of "air" that eminated from him. You could feel his gravity and you can't help but be intruiged by his aura. He had charm. He had style. And he had an infectious smile. Just exactly the kind of triple threat combination of many legendary singer-songwriters that started out performing in pubs and cafes. Musically he wasn't near mind blowing, but his voice and catchy lyrics gave him an edge. The kind of edge that you would hear and say, "He's an artist".

And what'd ya know, Reza's back on stage again! Here he is accompanying Slowjaxx on stage to sing a number.

And here it is, the final act of the night, Car Crash Hearts. These four lads from Klang Valley gave a heck of a rock out! A new up and comer in the indie scene, Car Crash Hearts comprises of seasoned performer (Wafiey from Ben's Bitches and Alda from.... well there's too many bands to name if y'know what I mean!). No doubt their sound is comparable to a slew of other pop-punk bands currently in the indie scene now. But I've to say, from experience, that their performance was nothing short of spectacular! And that is what sets them apart from many other pop-punk bands out there. Their songs are impressive as well; fresh and catchy. There was never a dull moment and their whole performance was filled with non-stop energy!